DENVER — A cascade of failures defined the Broncos season, their offense bottoming out in ways unimaginable after the acquisition of quarterback Russell Wilson.
But the final month offered rays of hope, not only with Wilson, but his primary weapon.
Jerry Jeudy emerged as the team's top receiver, cemented by the season finale.
Jeudy caught five passes for 154 yards with a career-high in rush attempts (three) and rushing yards (39) in the 31-28 victory over the Chargers. It earned the former Alabama star AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
"He was special," Wilson said. "It was really cool to see him step (up over the final month). I know I talked a lot about it in the preseason and OTAs, camp, and going against him all the time. Jerry is just showing everyone what we already knew. He is a tremendous talent and we are just watching him go out there and play his tail off for the guys."
Despite dealing with ankle injuries, Jeudy rolled up his sleeves and went to work in practice. He developed a connection with Wilson, and clearly earned his trust down the stretch. Over his final five games, Jeudy caught 33 passes for 458 yards and three touchdowns. The key was consistency and attention. He received 41 targets, showing the team finally seemed to understand Jeudy is better in space than NASA.
"I was thankful. I put in the work and I was grinding," Jeudy said recently. "The coaches and everybody were putting me in position to be successful. I just have to keep grinding."
Despite missing two full games and most of two others because of injuries, Jeudy finished with 67 catches for 972 yards and six touchdowns, all career-highs. Jeudy, 23, has put himself in position to have his fifth year option picked up this offseason. His 193 scrimmage yards vs. the Chargers was the most since Emmanuel Sanders in 2015. Jeudy becomes the eighth Broncos receiver to earn player of the week honors, joining:
- Vance Johnson, 1989
- Anthony Miller, 1995
- Rod Smith, 2005
- Brandon Marshall, 2008-09
- Eric Decker, 2013
- Demaryius Thomas, 2013-14
- Emmanuel Sanders, 2018
- Jerry Jeudy, 2022
